Allergies and asthma are big business. Approximately 50 million Americans suffer from allergies, and approximately 20 million suffer from asthma. With some overlap between the conditions, more than 60 million Americans experience either allergies, asthma, or both.
The costs for medications, hospital and emergency room admissions, and loss of business productivity are huge - approximately $18 billion annually.1 And, the impact on children is significant and ongoing - 14 million school days are missed annually due to allergies and asthma. These disorders are the number one reason for school absenteeism.2
Standard treatment for allergies and asthma consists of a variety of medications, and if you have one of these disorders, you know all about the meds. For allergies, typical medications include antihistamines and corticosteroid nasal sprays. You may also undergo more aggressive therapy - desensitization injections, known as immunotherapy, which are given regularly over a period of years.
For asthma, the gold standard of medication is inhaled corticosteroids. Asthma inhalers are now so much a part of daily life that they appear regularly as props on television serials and in film. In plot-driven, contrived "difficult" moments, lead actors - children and adults - pull out their inhalers and take a quick dose.
The challenge, of course, with allergy and asthma medication is there is no end-point. There is no cure. Asthma and allergies, for the most part, are lifelong conditions requiring lifelong medication. Might there be a better way, an alternative solution?
"Alternative" is the key word. Medical treatment is designed to combat symptoms, and is successful to a certain extent with allergies and asthma. Underlying causes are not addressed, however, and symptoms continue year after year. What else might be done?
Enter chiropractic care. Chiropractic health care, with its unique comprehensive approach, is able to offer positive benefit to a variety of conditions and ailments. In the case of allergies and asthma, these "hypersensitivity conditions" may respond well to therapy designed to normalize the body's flow of nerve signals. To use a metaphor, chiropractic treatment removes roadblocks to the body's natural healing abilities. Restoring these imbalances may help reduce such hypersensitivity reactions.
Chiropractic care frequently includes nutritional counseling, a critical component for people with allergies and asthma. Such individuals need as much physical optimization as possible, and nutritional awareness is key. A balanced food plan will help support all metabolic systems, reduce irritation caused by deficiencies, and provide fuel for exercise programs.
The benefits of chiropractic care are wide-ranging, and may be very useful in cases of hypersensitivity disorders such as allergies and asthma.
1Weiss K: The costs of asthma. Asthma and Allergy Foundation, 1998 [updated 2001].
2The Condition of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2001.
The concept of cloud computing has become a buzzword in recent years. The notion of "the cloud" originally referred to data storage. You could backup your computer files or even an image of your hard drive to a server bank in some remote location. Now you can access fully featured software programs via the cloud, including well-known productivity and photo editing programs. Cloud computing enables you to save money you would have spent on costly software packages and frees up valuable space on your home or office networks. The only drawback involves security issues, but such issues exist on your local networks as well.
The computing paradigm has taken over more and more not only of our work day, but our recreational environments as well. As a result, it has become increasingly easy to neglect and ultimately forget about the precious components of human physiology upon which all computing systems are based, that is, our very own brain and central nervous system.
There are serious downsides to such neglect and lack of care. Most of us are aware of the need to engage in regular vigorous exercise and eat a consistently nutritious diet. We do these things because we've learned the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Of course, these healthful activities support the functioning of your brain and central nervous system. But your brain requires more than mere physiological sustenance. Your brain itself requires the performance of actual work so that it can continue to do what it was designed to do.1 The critical function of your brain is to provide you with creative, innovative solutions to the challenges you face every day to the survival and welfare of you and your family.
Your brain is staggeringly complex. It is estimated there are more connections among your brain cells than there are stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Specifically, there are more than 100 billion neurons in your brain, with several 100 trillion (1014) and possibly as many as 1 quadrillion (1015) connections. This massive network is built for heavy lifting, but most of us now fritter away this priceless resource as we spend seemingly endless hours talking and texting on our cell phones and playing games on our phones, tablets, and laptops.
Now we may be developing eye-hand coordination when we lose an entire afternoon playing race car and other arcade-style games.2,3 But as the great philosophers have known for almost 3000 years, actual thinking is the best and most worthwhile use we can make of the free gift of self-awareness we receive as humans. Only thinking will provide us with the tools and techniques we require to grow, develop, and thrive in our increasingly complex and shrinkingly small global village. But the skill (or art) of thinking is based on training. Fortunately such training is available everywhere and the cost is frequently only that of time. Reading books is the primary training ground for developing the skill of critical thinking that will make a difference in our lives. Reading books that challenge you, followed by study and practice, will hone and refine your ability to actually think and make use of your brain, your own personal cloud. Surprisingly, and possibly shockingly, everything we need for such life-enhancing thinking is available right there "within" us.
1Vigliecca NS, Baez S: Screening executive function and global cognition with the Nine-Card Sorting Test: healthy participant studies and ageing implications. Psychogeriatrics 2015 Mar 3. doi: 10.1111/psyg.12104. [Epub ahead of print]
2Moisala M, et al: Brain activity during divided and selective attention to auditory and visual sentence comprehension tasks. Front Hum Neurosci 2015 Feb 19;9:86. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00086
3Banerjee S, et al: Interests shape how adolescents pay attention: the interaction of motivation and top-down attentional processes in biasing sensory activations to anticipated events. Eur J Neurosci 41(6):818-834, 2015
Your nerve system is your body's master communication system. Your brain - your body's central processing unit - receives information from every other system. Information on sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell is constantly bombarding your brain. Information on muscle activity, placement of your arms and legs and fingers and toes, and the positioning of your joints reaches the brain, nanosecond by nanosecond. Feedback is constantly being supplied on how many new red blood cells are being manufactured, how much acid has been secreted into the stomach to help digest your breakfast, and how much insulin, epinephrine, and other hormones is needed for healthy functioning.1
Your brain processes information faster than the world's fastest computer2, and you get to have one for free!
Remarkably, man-made computers are exactly like the human brain. How information is received, how it is processed, and how instructions are sent back out again - these activities are quite identical in both the artificial machine and the living organ.3
How is all the information transferred back and forth? Messages coming to the brain from the body and messages going from the brain to the body are transmitted via the spinal cord, the tail-like direct extension of the brain itself. The spinal cord - delicate nervous tissue - is encased in the bony structures of the spinal canal, housed within the spinal column.
Of course, all systems in the body are related. Interestingly, problems with spinal mechanics may interfere with normal activities taking place in the spinal cord. If spinal muscles are irritated and spinal ligaments are tight, pain signals from these structures will affect normal signals flowing through the local spinal nerve. Ramped-up pain signals impact levels of other signals, enhancing some and depressing others. The ultimate result is that of "wires being crossed". Systems then begin to break down and the person's health may be affected.
So, mechanical problems in the spine can lead to many other physical ailments. Tight neck muscles, headaches, painful lower backs, and even arm pain or leg pains suggest altered spinal mechanics. How may these health issues be addressed?
Chiropractic health care is specifically designed to diagnose and treat spine-related complaints. Treatment is gentle and directed toward restoring mobility, reducing pain and irritation of spinal muscles and ligaments. As these painful conditions resolve, more normal functioning within the nerve system is made possible. The result is greater health and improved well-being across the range of your body's systems.
1Carpenter RHS: Neurophysiology, 4th ed. Hodder Arnold, 2002
2Moravec H: When will computer hardware match the human brain? J Evolution Tech 1, 1998 - http://www.transhumanist.com/volume1/moravec.pdf
3Lytton WW: From Computer to Brain. Springer, 2002
The metaphor linking the human brain with computer hardware is now so well known that it features regularly in news media stories. But computers have only been with us since Colossus and ENIAC (electronic numerical integrator and computer) were constructed in the mid-1940s. The metaphor linking the code embedded in human DNA and computer software is less frequently cited. The general public only became aware of the concept of computer software in the early 1980s, with the launch of IBM's Personal Computer in 1981 and Apple's Macintosh computer in 1984. In contrast, our genetic code has been evolving for 2 million years.
We could consider computer hardware the metaphorical analog of the human nerve system, consisting of the brain, spinal and peripheral nerves, and neurons (nerve cells).1,2 The nerve system comprises the physical structures that initiate and transmit electrical signals that control the physiological processes of your cells, tissues, and organs. Activities involving your heartbeat, your breath, your digestion, and hormonal function are all regulated and directed by interaction with the nerve system.
Computer software provides encoded instructions for programs that run on the processors, memory banks, buses, and drives of the computer hardware structure. Such programming is analogous to our genetic code, which contains instructions for the growth, development, and functioning of every cell in our bodies. The nerve system carries out its functions based on instructions derived from the DNA contained within its cells.
Computers and the software they run on do not require much maintenance. You certainly don't want to spill coffee on your keyboard and you don't want crumbs to wander into any open ports or drive slots. You do want to backup your files and run security checks periodically. But that's about it. In contrast, the human body requires a fair amount of upkeep in order to ensure optimal performance. Many people are unwilling to do 30 minutes of vigorous exercise 5 times a week. Many people will not take the time to shop for nutritious food and prepare healthful meals.3 But if you engage in these important activities on a regular basis, you will go far to securing long-term health for yourself and your family.
Most of us put a lot of thought into decisions concerning our computers and the software we're going to run on them. We take good care of these helpers of our personal and business activities. But few of us are similarly conscientious when it comes to taking care of our own health and well-being. It would profit all of us greatly to take such care of our metaphorical hardware and software, that is, the physical and physiological structures that keep us healthy and well.
1Cash SS, Hochberg LR: The emergence of single neurons in clinical neurology. Neuron 86(1):79-91, 2015
2Xu J, et al: What does a neuron learn from multisensory experience? J Neurophysiol 113(3):883-889. 2015
3Asher G, Sassone-Corsi P: Time for Food: The Intimate Interplay between Nutrition, Metabolism, and the Circadian Clock Cell 161(1):84-92, 2015
You are the lucky owner of a magnificent piece of biological machinery - the human brain. Your brain is always on, performs lightning-fast calculations, and is a whiz at making connections between seemingly unrelated factors and observations. The only downside is that your brain didn't come with an owner's manual.
Fortunately, your brain has no moving parts. All the action is on the inside - inside the black box. And, your brain is always available. It will do whatever you tell it to do. All you have to do is take care of it properly - provide it with energy, take it out for a walk, and make sure it's connected.
The energy part could be easy, but most of us fall down on the job. Our bodies require high-quality nutrition, but mostly what they get is a poor substitute. Fresh fruits and vegetables, whole-grain cereals; complete protein from milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs, fish, chicken, turkey; and plenty of water cover daily requirements for optimum functioning. [If you're a vegetarian, make sure you get complete protein from dairy products - rice and beans do not provide complete protein!]
A balanced food plan provides your brain with all the energy it needs 1 - and it needs plenty of energy! Glucose is the primary source of energy for your brain - complex carbohydrates like potatoes and whole grains make it all happen.
Going for a walk - a metaphor for all kinds of vigorous physical activity - not only helps keep you in top shape but is also one of the best things you can do for your brain. So many recent scientific studies have shown that peak brain function and levels of exercise are strongly related.2, 3
Physical activity causes new areas of your brain to "light up" and builds connections between areas of your brain that weren't connected before. So, you're body's getting smarter at the same time that you're getting smarter! A pretty good deal.
Finally, it's very important to make sure that all the parts of your body are talking to each other in the right way and at the right time. Your brain needs to receive the information it's supposed to receive to make good decisions, and your body needs to receive the information it needs from your brain to get all the jobs done that need to be done.
Regular chiropractic care helps make sure these things are happening. Regular chiropractic care helps balance the flow of information in your nervous system, taking care of you and your brain.
1Rosales FJ, Zelsel Sh: Perspectives from the symposium: The Role of Nutrition in Infant and Toddler Brain and Behavioral Development. Nutr Neurosci 11(3):135-143, 2008
2Christie BR, et al: Exercising our brains: how physical activity impacts synaptic plasticity in the dentate gyrus. Neuromolecular Med 10(2):47-58, 2008
3Lange-Asschenfeldt C, Kojda G: Alzheimer's disease, cerebrovascular dysfunction and the benefits of exercise: From vessels to neurons. Exp Gerontol 43(6):499-504, 2008
Physicians and scientists have often called the human body a beautiful instrument. The sense in which this metaphor is applied is primarily mechanistic. The human body is a beautiful instrument in that its parts mesh properly and each component performs its function superbly.
The metaphor "beautiful instrument" can be also be interpreted from the perspective of music. Just as playing the piano, the cello, or the saxophone can create wonderful tones, harmonies, and melodies, the workings of the human body may also create beautiful music.
The movements of the planets, stars, and constellations have been termed the "music of the spheres". Patterns of motion of the celestial bodies are precise, regular, and harmonious. These reliable patterns allow sailors to navigate safely and confidently on the open ocean, and allow farmers to determine their planting seasons with high levels of accuracy.
The human body, as awe-inspiring and as beautiful as the Eagle Nebula, the Andromeda Galaxy, or the rings of Saturn, possesses internal mechanisms as precise and complex as those astronomers are able to observe in the deepest regions of space. The music the body creates is similarly as beautiful.
In music, a major chord is a simultaneous combination of three notes - the root, a major third, and a perfect fifth. If you want to play a C major chord you strike (or hold) a C, an E, and a G. If you're playing an F major chord, you play an F, an A, and a C. In a sense, this system describes a musical code. Your body has many such codes.
The genetic code is one example. Every protein in your body is composed of a precise sequence of amino acids. Substitute glycine for valine or glutamine for serine and you've got a completely different protein. Precision in manufacture means your body works the way it is supposed to work, with no errors or failures.
Proteins such as hemoglobin or insulin are built exactly the same way every time. This level of 100% accuracy is made possible by the genetic code. Each amino acid that makes up hemoglobin or insulin has its own corresponding genetic sequence which is composed of three pieces of information - just like a major chord. 1
We can say that wellness is a state of physiologic harmony. 2,3 We become unwell when we're "out of tune". At such a time our internal chords aren't being played properly - "notes" aren't being put together properly or are being played out of sequence.
Chiropractic care can help restore musical balance.
By making sure the spine is in alignment, chiropractic care helps restore precision and harmony to all the functions of the body. Proteins are built properly, enzymes function at the right time and in the right proportion, biochemical reactions take place efficiently, and health and wellness is the result.
1Martinez-Mekler G, et al: Universality of rank-ordering distributions in the arts and sciences. Public Library of Science (PLOS) Mar 19, 2009 (http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0004791)
2Heber D: An integrative view of obesity. Am J Clin Nutr Nov 18, 2009 (abstract online - http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/ajcn.2009.28473Bv1)
3Endler PC, et al: Sense of coherence and physical health. A "Copenhagen interpretation" of Antonovsky's SOC concept. Sci World J 20(8):451-453, 2008
For thousands of years, humanity has struggled to understand the place of men and women in the universe. All sorts of explanations have been brought forward, many proposing that humanity is part of a greater whole and helps contribute to the welfare of all. Equally many theories suggest that humanity is the center of the universe for which all else exists. Whether one conceives that humankind is a contributing partner in the web of life, or whether one takes the position that humans rule over all else, taking what we need from the resources freely provided, all can agree there is much to be learned from the natural world.
In particular, men and women can learn how to maintain a healthy physical existence. But it seems we have not learned the lessons available with any sort of effectiveness. Research shows that more than half of all adults in the United States have at least one chronic disease. Worldwide, chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer account for more than 60% of all deaths annually. Recently, the prevalence of chronic diseases has been largely attributed to lifestyle. Whether you consistently eat a nutritious diet and engage in regular vigorous exercise has a great deal to do with your present state of health and the likelihood of developing a life-threatening chronic disease in the future.1,2
If we were really paying attention, even those of us who live in urban areas would recognize that all other forms of life with whom we share this planet engage in regular exercise on a daily basis. For example, it seems that birds only really rest when they're asleep for the night. Rabbits and squirrels are continually on the move searching for food. Bees are constantly in flight and ants are always on the march. Even plants get their exercise by daily phototropic behaviors, turning their stalks, extending their stems, and turning their leaves toward the sun to obtain their form of daily nutrition. And, of course, with the exception of domesticated pets and animals caged in zoos, you never see an overweight or obese robin, finch, hawk, bunny, or bumblebee.
Thus, it's important to recognize that even with our vaunted self-awareness and reasoning ability, we are nonetheless quite similar, physiologically at least, to all other creatures. It's not necessary for us to develop a radical cosmic consciousness, but it is necessary to be able to discern what's beneficial for us. Extending the well-known proverb, what's good for the goose is not only good for the gander, but good for us, too. By making our own the regular, sensible habits of other living beings, men and women around the world can obtain higher levels of health, wellness, and well being, now and into the future.3
1Street SJ, et al: Windows of opportunity for physical activity in the prevention of obesity. Obes Rev 2015 Jul 29. doi: 10.1111/obr.12306. [Epub ahead of print]
2Blaize AN, et al: Impact of Maternal Exercise during Pregnancy on Offspring Chronic Disease Susceptibility. Exerc Sport Sci Rev 2015 Jul 21. [Epub ahead of print]
3Smith CJ, Ryckman KK: Epigenetic and developmental influences on the risk of obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Diabetes Metab Syndro Obes 8:295-302, 2015
Renewability, sustainability, and energy conservation are all over the news. Every newspaper's front page and every television nightly news program features sustainability daily. These are important issues, not only for the health of our planet, but also for our physical health and well-being.
Our physical health depends on how we maximize our available energy resources - how we use our body's stores of energy, how we replace and renew that energy, and how we practice conservation of our physical energy.
The interaction of all the elements of human physiology is exactly analogous to the interaction of ecosystems in the global ecology. It's an interesting and powerful comparison.
Energy resources in our body consist of nutrients obtained from food, oxygen, and stored energy in the form of sugars (glycogen) and fats. We gain energy by eating good food and balancing our nutritional choices from all the major food groups.1,2 We gain energy by having efficient and well-toned cardiovascular and respiratory systems. We gain energy by having strong muscles. And we gain energy by getting sufficient rest.
How we use these resources depends on instructions from the nerve system. Being able to use these resources efficiently depends on the underlying tone of our cells and tissues, which in turn depends on normal flow of information in the nerve system.
Hyperactive nerve systems and sluggish nerve systems - due to a variety of causes - create imbalances up and down the line.3 Systems perform abnormally. Your metabolism slows down or speeds up. You don't digest your food properly. You use too many or too little resources for a given task, and the job doesn't get done properly. Muscles get tight. Joints get stiff. You have pain. You get sick.
In these cases you're using more energy - due to inefficient systems - than you're taking in. You're not sustaining your resources, you're depleting them. Sooner or later, your entire system will begin to breakdown. You have chronic pain, you're tired all the time, you toss and turn when you should be sleeping, and you're irritable during the day.
Energy is not being renewed. Your body's out of balance, physically and metaphorically.
Chiropractic treatment directly addresses these energy concerns. Chiropractic care is all about energy management and conservation of resources. Gentle chiropractic treatment focuses on restoring balance to nerve systems, muscular systems, and physical structure. Energy begins to flow to where it's needed most, chronic pain begins to resolve, and you begin to sleep more restfully. You have a greater focus and get done the things you want to get done during the day. Your relationships with family and friends are more enjoyable, and life itself becomes much more fun.
Your chiropractor - your energy conservation specialist - is an important natural resource for your well-being and your family's well-being.
1Katona P, Katona-Apte J: The interaction between nutrition and infection. Clin Infect Dis 46(10):1582-1588, 2008
2UNESCO, Regional Office for Education in Asia and the Pacific: Population, nutrition, and health. Bull Unesco Reg Off Educ Asia Pac 23:260-268, 1982
3D'Melllo R, Dickenson AH: Spinal cord mechanisms of pain. Br J Anaesth April 15, 2008
Back in the day, there were no personal trainers. If you needed to learn how to exercise, you got a subscription to one of a few well-known "muscle magazines" and read several issues from cover to cover. Then you joined a "Y" and began to discreetly observe what was going in the weight room, trying to match up what you had read in the magazine with what you were seeing in the gym. Eventually, you put together a series of exercises, sets, and reps that worked for you. Back then, any strength training program you developed would be strictly based on a seat-of-the-pants approach. You learned by trial and error.
Today there is a vast body of scientific literature focused on the various benefits of numerous forms and types of exercise.1 However, scientific studies are not good at evaluating the how-to's of getting fit. Fortunately many informal resources are available, all intended to point you in the right direction. But not all of these resources are accurate or trustworthy, and the challenge is to identify a set of basic principles that will be applicable to your specific situation.
Firstly, before getting started you need to make sure that it's OK to actually get started. Let your doctor (your family chiropractor, family physician, or internist) know what you're planning to do and have her tell you what you need to watch out for, if anything. Next, you need to make a commitment. Consistency is the key to deriving lasting value from exercise. Additionally, irregular exercise sessions will often lead to injury. If you're serious about getting fit, then make a commitment to yourself to participate in a 12-week program. At the end of 12 weeks, you'll evaluate how you feel, what you've accomplished, and whether you want to keep going.
In terms of strength training (that is, weight lifting), three sessions per week is ideal. By doing "split routines" you can exercise all the major muscle groups each week. On one day you'll do exercises for the chest and back. Another day you'll do exercises for the legs. On the third day you'll focus on the shoulders, biceps, and triceps. This set of split routines will produce optimal results for many people.
Importantly, you'll be doing chest and triceps (and back and biceps) on different days, thus avoiding the potential for overwork and injury. But you may find that an alternate set of split routines works best for you. The key is to start slowly and build up strength gradually. Once you have some experience and an improved level of fitness, you may branch out and vary your basic routine, experimenting and seeing what works best for you. In terms of sets and repetitions (reps), three sets per exercise and eight to 12 repetitions per set represent the classical, tried and true method of getting fit and making gradual strength gains over time. For any strength training exercise, start with a weight at which you can do eight repetitions comfortably. This should be neither too easy, nor too difficult. Of course, it's far better to err on the side of caution. You never want to do too much too soon.
As you go along in your fitness program, you'll add core exercise routines2 and aerobics exercise such as walking, swimming, biking, and running. If you work out slowly and gradually and maintain consistency, you'll have a great deal of fun and gain substantially improved levels of health and well-being.3
1Storer TW, et al: Effect of supervised, periodized exercise training vs. self-directed training on lean body mass and other fitness variables in health club members. J Strength Cond Res 28(7):1995-2006, 2014
2Kahle N, Tevald MA: Core muscle strengthening's improvement of balance performance in community-dwelling older adults: a pilot study. J Aging Phys Act 22(1):65-73, 2014
3Huffman KM, et al: Metabolite signatures of exercise training in human skeletal muscle relate to mitochondrial remodelling and cardiometabolic fitness. Diabetologia 2014 Aug 5. [Epub ahead of print]
